Alex West Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Has anyone seen anything like this before? It's coming up at auction on Saturday and is described as a "Scottish concertina" with a label; W Mitchell, Wishaw. Alex West Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptarmigan Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Hi Alex, that's fascinating. I look forward to learning more about this little box. I hope you don't mind, but I've posted a link to this thread over on The Concertina in Scotland & on Footstompin Cheers, Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptarmigan Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 (edited) Thanks to Steve Byrne ... Great Western Auctions, Dumbarton Rd in Glasgow. Run by Anita Manning who's on Bargain Hunt now and again. Lot No 412 Anglo or Duet? Cheers, Dick Edited October 20, 2011 by Ptarmigan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptarmigan Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Couple of suggestions over on thesession 1: Square duet here. 2: The fact that this has (presumably) only 24 playing keys leads me to believe that the square concertina in the auction is an Anglo. Also, an air release button is usual on an Anglo, but rare - (although not unknown) - on a duet. Cheers Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptarmigan Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Scottish Concertina expert Stuart, has chipped in, on the Footstompin thread to say this: I'd say German c1870 although could have been made in England too. Retailers often labelled the instruments they bought in. So now we know. Cheers, Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex West Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 It looks as though the instrument went for £120 plus buyers premium and VAT. Anyone here win it? I'd be very curious to see what it looks like on the inside! Alex West Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadbrewer Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 (edited) 10 years and one day to the last post, this article solves the issue...hope this is helpful, Andy Edited October 25, 2021 by sadbrewer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex West Posted October 25, 2021 Author Share Posted October 25, 2021 Goodness! Well done Andy - now if only I'd kept a picture of the instrument (or knew who'd won it) I'd be much better informed! Alex West Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 I'm intrigued, but can't comment because I didn't see this thread the first time around and have no idea what the instrument looks like. Does anybody have photos of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moll Peatly Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 So we have an answer, but not the question? Let's see... Is this it? The linked page says "Concertina in case, with label Scottish Concertina, W. Mitchell, Wishaw", and picture is "© GREAT WESTERN AUCTIONS, Ltd., Glasgow, Scotland, UK" as per the third post in this thread, so appears to be copied from the same auction listing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 (edited) 9 hours ago, sadbrewer said: 10 years and one day to the last post, this article solves the issue...hope this is helpful, Andy Very helpful, though rather hard to read. I've made a transcription of it, as best as I could, but I can't guarantee that every word of it is correct: A "SCOTTISH" CONCERTINA ----- Wishaw Man's Invention ----- A NEW INDUSTRY "It is possible that my invention may lead to a new industry for Wishaw," said Mr. William Mitchell, music-seller, 111 Main Street, who has invented an improved "Scottish" concertina, in an interview with a "Motherwell Times" representative on Tuesday. I do not mean that we shall rival Ford, but it may give employment to boys left school." To Encourage Music Mr. Mitchell discovered when he entered the music trade that there was a need for a cheaper and better instrument than German and Anglo German concertinas, and he set himself to the task at providing that. The concertina he has completed is the result of seventeen years experiments, and is a better instrument than the German and much more simple than either the English or the German. It has, too, the advantage of being much cheaper. For the English concertina Mr. Mitchell has nothing but praise, but with the complicated key-board it was impossible to put it within the reach of the working class. The German concertina has no half tones; the English concertina is five notes short of the four octaves. The Scottish concertina has both half tones and the full four octaves. Fine Tone Mr. Mitchell secures both melody and harmony and it was delightful to listen to his playing of "Jock o' Hazeldean," "Mary Morison," and "Traumerei." It is manufactured in eighteen different types, and Mr. Mitchell is confident that his instrument, either for solo, quartet, or band work, is "the best yet." He intends to start a local concertina band in order to popularise the new instrument and help to revive Scotland's musical tradition. Edited October 25, 2021 by Stephen Chambers Edited to add "quartet" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 Now William Mitchell's assertion that "the English concertina is five notes short of the four octaves. The Scottish concertina has ... the full four octaves" makes sense if you consider that the English concertina (with 48 buttons) has 14 notes to the octave (with G#/Ab and D#/Eb buttons), but that, without the enharmonic notes, his Scottish concertina (with 24 buttons) can have a four-octave range only if it plays different notes on both draw and press... So it must have been a (sort-of) Anglo-Duet concertina! 😲 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 2 hours ago, Moll Peatly said: So we have an answer, but not the question? Let's see... Is this it? The linked page says "Concertina in case, with label Scottish Concertina, W. Mitchell, Wishaw", and picture is "© GREAT WESTERN AUCTIONS, Ltd., Glasgow, Scotland, UK" as per the third post in this thread, so appears to be copied from the same auction listing. That must be it - I should have looked at Google sooner! 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_Coles Posted October 26, 2021 Share Posted October 26, 2021 Moving thread to Concertina History (where it belongs, a decade after the sale that started all this) at suggestion of Stephen Chambers. I added a couple of words to the topic title as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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